British Columbia - opposition to new Legal Professions Act
On August 22, 2025, the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) intervened in two constitutional challenges before the British Columbia Supreme Court concerning Bill 21, formally known as the Legal Professions Act, 2024. In its written submissions, the CBA argued that the legislation could discourage individuals from seeking legal advice, stifle robust advocacy, and impair access to justice. They warned that by reducing the number of elected lawyers in their own regulation body and enabling greater governmental control over the legal profession, the province risks becoming an outlier in Canada and globally—undermining institutional independence and potentially breaching constitutional protections for independent courts, fair trials, the right to counsel, and the rule of law. The CBA further distinguished lawyers from notaries and paralegals, emphasizing that only lawyers carry constitutional obligations to advocate independently and with loyalty to clients. As a remedy, the CBA urged the court to render the Act null and void. The Law Society of BC brought the first case, and a second was launched by the Trial Lawyers Association of BC and Kevin Westell—both seeing the CBA act as an intervenor.